Running back Joe Mixon barred from NFL combine because of his violent past

Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images

Oklahoma's Joe Mixon after a touchdown against Auburn Tigers during the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017.

Oklahoma's Joe Mixon after a touchdown against Auburn Tigers during the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017.

(Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)

Matt BonesteelThe Washington Post

Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon will not be in attendance at this year's NFL draft combine, to be held Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis, because of an NFL policy that bans prospects who have been involved in violent crimes from attending. The policy, instituted last year, says that prospects will not be allowed to participate if they have misdemeanor or felony convictions involving violence or use of a weapon, domestic violence, sexual offense and/or sexual assault.

USA Today's Tom Pelissero was the first to report the news Friday afternoon, adding that Baylor wide receiver Ishmael Zamora also will not be invited. Zamora was charged with a misdemeanor and suspended for three games last year for beating a dog.

During a July 2014 incident in Norman, Okla., Mixon punched a woman named Amelia Molitor so hard that it broke bones in her jaw and cheekbone, an assault that was captured on video that was released in December after a prolonged legal battle. He was charged with a misdemeanor but worked out a plea deal with prosecutors in which he received a one-year deferred sentence in exchange for 100 hours of community service and cognitive behavior counseling. Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops also suspended Mixon for the entire 2014 season but he returned to become a key component of Oklahoma's offense, rushing for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns while also catching 37 passes as a redshirt sophomore last season.

NFL scouts do not necessarily like the NFL's stance on the combine, Pelissero reports, because the event gives them a chance to assess each prospect's character in one place. All it means is that more scouts will have to make the trek to each athlete's pro day.

When Mixon announced his intention to enter the NFL draft, he said he had received a first-round grade from the NFL's college advisory committee. But Pelissero later debunked that claim, with multiple sources telling him that Oklahoma never actually submitted any Mixon material to the committee. Mixon's agent, Peter Schaffer, then clarified to Pelissero that a number of teams merely view him as "a first-round grade" from a talent perspective and that he would be among the top three running backs chosen.

MMQB's Emily Kaplan asked around about Mixon's draft chances while at last month's Senior Bowl.

ESPN broadcaster Brent Musburger wished the best for Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon during the Sugar Bowl telecast less than two weeks after a video surfaced showing Mixon punching a woman in the face, then doubled down on his comments after being criticized on Twitter.

Musburger made the comments...

"I heard that some teams would likely remove Mixon from their draft boards altogether," she wrote. "However, there seemed to be a stronger sentiment that Mixon could follow the model set by Tyreek Hill, who was picked in the fifth round by the Chiefs because the Kansas City organization felt they did their diligence and had a system in place to support Hill. I got a strong indication that Mixon might not plummet that far, and be picked up by the third or fourth round."

Hill, who was kicked off Oklahoma State's football team for choking his then-pregnant girlfriend in 2014, also did not attend the combine, but the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the fifth round of last year's draft. He played in the Pro Bowl as a rookie.